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Kitson slams two-footed tackles

Reading's Dave Kitson believes that any two-footed tackle deserves to be punished with a red card.

By Chris Burton

Last Updated: 28/12/07 4:54am

Reading's Dave Kitson believes that any two-footed tackle deserves to be punished with a red card.

The striker's honest admission comes in the wake of a spate of rash challenges over the past few weeks.

Kitson's Reading team-mate Brynjar Gunnarsson was dismissed for one such tackle during the 1-1 Boxing Day draw with West Ham, but there have been a number of high-profile cases of late.

Peter Crouch, Stephen Ireland, Ricardo Carvalho, Robbie Keane and Didier Zokora have all seen red for wild challenges, whilst John Terry, Tony Hibbert and Steed Malbranque have been fortunate to get away with their nasty looking lunges.

Stigma

"I'm sure this rule was always there, and I don't know whether it was the publicity or whether it was one tackle in particular which started it all off but there's a definite stigma attached to it at the moment, the two-footed tackle," Kitson told Sky Sports News.

"We've been on the receiving end of a red because of one of those, and I had one on me which put me out for seven months so it's very difficult for me to sympathise with anyone who makes one.

"We hold our hands up, the one against West Ham was a two-footed tackle, you're not in control of yourself and in this day in age you have to see the red card."